Caliya’s Chronicle of Runes

September Update
8 months ago – Tue, Sep 30, 2025 at 03:23:24 PM

Greetings folks!

If you missed the update last month, Caliya's Chronicle of Runes is in its Beta playtest phase, so make sure to go grab the PDF from BackerKit and check it out if you haven't yet. (I can help locate your downloads if you're not sure how to access them.) Already been getting some great feedback from you all via email and the Discord server, so thank you!

I've been making good progress with my own final edits as well and getting some of the last pieces of art in the book. Exciting stuff! I will have an updated Beta sent out to everyone later this week with the latest revisions, so keep your eyes on your inbox for that.

I'm anticipating the book to be fully finished and sent off to the printer in November-December, depending on how long it takes to iron out the final wrinkles. I'd prefer it to be sooner, of course, as I know all of you would too, but I'm trying to set realistic expectations based on the current progress. So with that plus production time, we're likely looking at Spring for shipment of physical products—hopefully on the earlier end there, maybe even late-Winter if things move along well. But I've learned better from friends (some of your other favorite creators who have worked on similar projects) that you should expect delays at just about every step in the process.

Thanks as always for hanging with me as this project approaches the home stretch and we really make everything as pristine as possible for the final release. And as always, feel free to send me a message if you have any questions. Thanks, friends!

– Tony

August Update – BETA Playtest Sent (Check Your Inbox!)
10 months ago – Thu, Aug 21, 2025 at 11:42:50 AM

Hi folks!

I'm excited to share the full Beta PDF of Caliya's Chronicle of Runes with you. All playtest content is included and ready for your feedback—which can be sent to me via email at [email protected] or over on the Discord server.

If you haven't kept up with the periodic Alpha releases, now's your chance to get final feedback in before the book goes to print! (If you haven't been receiving them, message me and I can help get you your downloads.) In addition to continued tidying and editing, this playtest PDF includes the final chunk of monsters for the book.

There are still a few non-playtest bits that will be in the final version of the book: notably, a more flavorful preface/intro, some art, and in-character "notes from Caliya" (these make up the majority of blank spaces you may still see on some pages). As these bits largely aren't necessary for proper playtest feedback, they will be incorporated in the final first-edition release of the PDF/book.

Now begins my final effort of reviewing everything—combing through every piece of lore, every rune, and any lingering notes folks have sent me—to ensure the book is pristine and ready for print. It's likely that I'll release an updated Beta in a few weeks to share my progress incorporating the feedback you all send and any further revisions I've made.

You've all been incredibly gracious through this process. Thanks for your patience and supporting me in the goal to provide the highest-quality final result possible, even if that's taken longer to achieve than any of us had hoped!

As always, feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions!

Thanks friends,

– Tony

June Update
12 months ago – Sun, Jun 22, 2025 at 11:57:03 PM

Hi friends,

This won't be a super long update as I'm excitedly pushing through the last few Runemaster NPCs right now. I had hoped the next PDF update would be the first full "Beta" release, but I think I'm gonna just push out what should actually be the last Alpha so I can get these Runemasters (lore/quest hooks and stat blocks) in your hands ASAP to start getting feedback on them.

In fact, I'll include an image of one here as a preview!

After I'm through with these and send out this last Alpha playtest, all that remains for the book is:

1. 1) Rune Prices (a big table organizing the runes by power, based in the Heliana's crafting system)
2. 2) About 15 more monsters
3. 3) Filling out the Index of Sidebars
4. 4) 4 more fonts (Druidic, Necril, Thieves' Cant, Wilderyn)

Once all of that's in, I'll release the Beta. And from there it'll just be a matter of getting in any final feedback from you awesome folks, filling in some missing art pieces, and reviewing/polishing everything to be fully ready for print.

A few people have very kindly but understandably been asking about the current projected timeline. I'm aiming for shipping of books around the end of the year. You have all been overwhelmingly supportive and patient as I've worked through everything, so thank you, sincerely.

Be on the lookout for the "Runemasters" PDF update in the next couple days! And if you have any questions, you can reach out to me here on Kickstarter, by email at [email protected], or over on the Discord server.

Thanks!

– Tony

April Update
about 1 year ago – Fri, May 02, 2025 at 02:15:43 PM

Hey folks! Checking in for another update here.

I'll start with a regular reminder of the latest playtest PDF, which was sent out a little over a week ago. That was Alpha Playtest v0.13, which is intended to be the last "Alpha." The pieces still remaining before the full "Beta" release are:

1. Rune Prices (also functions as a table organizing the 480 runes in the book by power/rarity)
2. ~15 monsters
3. Runemaster NPCs (lore/quest hooks are written up, just need stat blocks)
4. Index of Sidebars
5. Druidic, Necril, Thieves' Cant, and Wilderyn fonts

Those who have looked at the latest PDF may have noticed I deviated a bit from my original intentions for what I'd include in the v0.13 release. The "Runes as Data Chips" variant rule and "List of Monsters by Associated Language" appendix are in there. However, I had planned to have more monsters but prioritized a few new things instead:

1. 1) I've added a new section in the Appendices called "Content Associated with New Spells and Weapons" which cleanly displays what pieces of content throughout the book incorporate the weapons and spells.
2. 2) I spent some time reorganizing some content for layout purposes, particularly in the Runes and Races sections.
3. 3) Notably, I included the first of the Runemasters (an Abyssal cambion named "Mannoch") and 5 new spells (Defy Death, Ethereal Smite, Scourge, Weal, and Woe)! I also renamed 3 spells—Power Word Mute (now Power Word Silence), Power Word Slumber (now Power Word Sleep), and Witch Vial (now Spirit Vial)—and removed the Greater Identify spell.

Moving on from those latest updates, I know several folks have been wondering what the deal with the U.S. tariffs is and how they might affect this project (as they are with all current/ongoing projects). As I've said to others regarding their impact on this Kickstarter in particular: "Less than some projects, but more than if they'd never happened." It's certainly a concern I'm keeping tabs on, and it's not a great situation for pretty much any small business that imports products, but fortunately I already wasn't planning on printing in China, so we should at least avoid the worst of it. We'll see where things go after the 90-day pause on EU tariffs though, as the printer I'm working with is in Lithuania.

I think that's all I've got for now. Feel free to reach out to me with any feedback or if you have any questions, either here on Kickstarter, by email at [email protected], or over on the Discord server!

– Tony

March Progress Update
about 1 year ago – Thu, Mar 27, 2025 at 09:56:06 PM

Hiya folks, apologies for the delayed update this month!

I'll start here by laying out exactly what is left in terms of the book before it's "finished":

• 1) Variant Rule: Runes as Data Chips
• 2) Rune Prices (table of Runes by Rarity; based on the Heliana's Crafting System)
• 3) ~20 more monsters
• 4) Runemaster NPCs
• 5) List of Monsters by Associated Language
• 6) Index of Sidebars
• 7) Translating and Writing in Runic Languages: Druidic, Thieves' Cant, and Wilderyn
• 8) Final feedback and revisions

This month's playtest release (which I anticipate sending out within the next week) will include points 1, 3, and 5 above. Points 2, 4, 6, and 7 are in progress and should be in the next playtest release after this (which will be the "Beta"). And of course point 8 is everything that comes after the Beta release—all the finishing touches to make the book fully "print ready."

It's looking like Caliya's Chronicle of Runes will be in the ballpark of 360 pages. That's a bit more than I originally expected, but I'm really proud of how everything is shaping up!

On that note, I have to take a moment here to thank everyone for being so patient and supportive. I've truly been so thankful for the feedback (and criticism!) I've received thus far. I think we're all aware the project is taking longer than I would've wanted to come to fruition, and I know regular updates only go so far. I promise I'm pushing myself to get this all finished up and get the books in your hands as soon as possible. Being something of a "one-man show" is fulfilling but certainly presents its challenges!

If you didn't yet check out last month's playtest PDF (Alpha v0.12) with the first chunk of monsters, make sure to do so! Feedback is always welcome. :) And let me know if you're having trouble accessing any of your downloads!

As always, feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions, either here on Kickstarter, by email at [email protected], or over on the Discord server.

Thanks, friends!

– Tony